The Skagen Falster 3 iterates to bring Wear OS into 2020

A new processor and strap options aren’t the most compelling upgrades but at least Fossil Group is leading the charge

Similar looks, updated guts

It’s becoming a little hard to get excited about new Wear OS smartwatches given how similar they all are but the Skagen Falster 3 is the best looking of the bunch. Made by Fossil Group, the company that also owns the Puma, Michael Kors and Diesel smartwatch brands, the Falster 3 adds the latest Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor to keep up with its stablemates.

It also adds 8GB storage for apps and media and should be kept ticking over with its 1GB RAM. The table stakes features like heart rate sensor, GPS and NFC are all present too.

We weren’t as taken with the original Falster and the Falster 2 like some of our tech press peers where, but the Falster 3 will surely be better thanks to updated internal specs that will make Wear OS run to the best of its abilities.

The 3 is a larger watch than its predecessors with a 42mm face and 22mm strap that makes the product wider and less sleek than before, but it has the same basic design with attractively minimal lugs. Skagen also ditched the stainless steel mesh band of the 2 in favour of a chunkier version, as well as leather and silicone mesh options.

Image: Skagen

Add to that a special edition version in collaboration with a Norwegian DJ called Kygo and the Falster 3 on first impressions seems to be a little try hard. Then again with Fossil’s own Gen 5 watch and all its fashion brand subsidiaries like Skagen kicking out the same watch in different designs, they all need to stand out.

Those similarities are in the software, with the Falster 3 packing in Google’s latest battery saver modes that helps Wear OS last into a second day of use. Like the Gen 5 the Falster 3 adds a speaker for handsfree calls, Google Assistant chatting and sound alerts – a feature that should really be standard but has taken years to come to the majority of Wear OS smartwatches.